-LRB- CNN -RRB- If Usain Bolt ever takes up figure skating , he will know how Kauto Star feels .

The 14-year-old racehorse , one of the greatest steeplechasers of all time and a two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner , made his dressage debut at London 's Olympia Horse Show on Tuesday .

Dressage , which involves horse and rider working together to produce a complex `` dance '' routine marked by judges , is how Kauto Star has been spending retirement since his last National Hunt race in 2012 .

Laura Collett , a leading British event rider , has been helping the horse to learn the intricacies of a sport that rewards precision and poise above power and pace .

`` He 's changed shape a lot since we got him , '' Collett told Horse and Hound magazine in the build-up to Kauto Star 's demonstration dressage test at Olympia .

`` He had n't done any flat work at all . But he 's got a brilliant temperament and he 's very willing . He got the hang of it very easily .

`` He needed to soften his whole body -- he was just used to going in a straight line . So he 's done a lot of gymnastic exercises and things to supple him up .

`` He tries really hard . When you 've taught him something once , he remembers it . The hardest thing for him was the canter -- he only really knew about going fast . ''

Having spent a career streaking past thousands of spectators lining a racecourse , Kauto Star appeared a little unprepared for an indoor arena crowd as he took his first , dainty dressage steps at Olympia .

`` It 's the crowds being up high and so close , it 's quite intimidating , '' Collett told the BBC afterwards . `` He did n't show himself off to the best of his ability -- he got a bit of stage fright and shut down .

`` Most horses who come into an arena like this have been doing it for eight or 10 years , and build up gradually . He 's been thrown in at the deep end . ''

Kauto Star is not in contention for Rio 2016 . Britain has one of the world 's leading dressage teams and no matter his racing pedigree , there simply is n't the time to bring him up to the required standard .

Instead , dressage is seen as a way to offer the horse an interesting retirement -- although that was n't met with universal approval when the decision was made , two years ago .

Owner Clive Smith sent Kauto Star to Collett 's Wiltshire yard in December 2012 , against the wishes of the horse 's longtime trainer , Paul Nicholls .

The dispute over the horse 's future brought to an end a partnership responsible for almost a dozen major victories on the racecourse , a career bettered only by 1960s legends Arkle and Flyingbolt .

Now , by contrast , Collett says there is `` no pressure '' on Kauto Star to perform to any standard in his new sport .

`` The main thing is the horse is happy and relaxed , '' she said this week , `` and he has a varied lifestyle . ''

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Steeplechasing great Kauto Star shows off some moves in his new sport , dressage

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Two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner has been learning dressage since late 2012

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Dressage debut comes in a demonstration at the Olympia Horse Show in London

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No plans for Kauto Star to add an Olympics appearance to his many racing honours